


The Double Date

by bedtimefanfic



Category: Batman - All Media Types, Green Lantern (Comics), Superman - All Media Types, The Flash (Comics)
Genre: Bruce's paranoia, Cute, Double Dating, Established Relationship, Fluff, Happy, Insecurity, M/M, No Sex, No Smut, POV Multiple, good and wholesome, just a little bit, soft, sorry Barry, you'll get some of everyone's thoughts
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-01-28
Updated: 2020-01-28
Packaged: 2021-02-27 03:34:25
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,436
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22450381
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/bedtimefanfic/pseuds/bedtimefanfic
Summary: Hal accidentally asks Clark and Bruce on a double date with him and Barry. It turns out well despite concerns.
Relationships: Barry Allen/Hal Jordan, Clark Kent & Bruce Wayne & Hal Jordan & Barry Allen, Clark Kent/Bruce Wayne
Comments: 14
Kudos: 141





	The Double Date

Who knew how the idea popped into his mind? It was months after the League found out that he and Barry were actually a couple and not just really, really close friends (though they were still that, Hal sometimes complained to Barry, and they could be everything at once), and months after the League found out the _Superman and Batman_ were a couple. Setting aside how that had come as a shock, it seemed like at some point, the topic should come up. They all spent so much time together anyways, either fighting, or on monitor duty, or in space. Despite how unconventional it was, this should be an extension of their relationships.  
Yet, "Do you and Bruce want to join us for lunch this weekend?" still surprised Hal when he said it. And he had only paused a moment to avoid asking for "Batman", which would only have made it worse. Barry was standing next to him, and without looking, Hal could tell he was surprised, too. They had talked about it, parried back and forth the idea of a "double date" of sorts. _Of course,_ Hal thought, _he would be the one to blurt it out!_  
"Civilian identities," Barry added once the first wave of shock died down. "Obviously not as, you know ..." He chuckled lightly and rubbed the back of his neck.  
The conversation from there should have gone to a polite refusal, but the next thing he knew, it was Superman saying, "I'll have to talk to him," and "Call me Clark, then, please," and ironing out some details.  
"I didn't know you were gonna ask him!" Barry said on their way to the transporters.  
Hal replied, "I didn't until after I did." Barry rolled his eyes affectionately in that way that Hal thought was really cute. "I'm kind of glad I did, though," he said. "This'll be interesting."  
"Yeah, interesting," Barry conceded. "If Batman agrees. Which isn't likely."  
"We'll see," Hal said, shrugging. "In the meantime, my place or yours?"  
"Yours," Barry decided, pulling him onto the transport pad. "My cable's been out, remember?"

~

"You don't really think it’ll be awful, do you?" Clark asked hopefully. Bruce didn't look up from his laptop screen, where he has watching a graphical report of some sort, but his frown deepened.  
"Going on this so-called double date is far from how I'd enjoy spending time off," he replied, tapping a few keys. "I prefer the company of family alone." He sighed. "Couldn't you tell them something came up and we'll just stay home together?"  
Clark's chest felt warm at the implication that Bruce considered him family. He almost forgot to reply. "This is like a team building exercise," he tried. "We'll get to know each other better, they can learn that we're regular people, you can maybe stop butting heads with Hal? The end result is a net positive for team dynamics?" Bruce didn't pout, but it was close.  
"Don't try to play this off as strategy," he grumbled. Clark smiled gently.  
"And you need to spend time with friends, too," he continued. "That's what Barry and Hal are, Bruce: our friends. They just want to spend some time together."  
"We spent time with Diana just last week," Bruce countered. He smirked triumphantly for a moment. Clark tilted his head and gave Bruce a smirk of his own.  
"Okay, Bruce, we did," he said. "But I've already given them pretty much a yes, and we'll likely be meeting in Coast City, so you probably won't get recognized. It's just a generous offer and I don't like passing it up." Bruce's shoulders slumped almost imperceptibly, but Clark noticed. He also heard the barely audible sigh that signaled that he had won.  
"Next time we're turning it down," Bruce warned and Clark kissed him on the cheek.  
"All right," he conceded. He slowly reached to take Bruce's laptop from him and close it. He leaned across his boyfriend to turn off the bedside lamp and in the dark, he could see Bruce still biting his lip nervously.  
"Who are they expecting to show up?" he asked. "Me or --"  
"Don't go as Batman!" Clark laughed. "You already revealed your identity to them. Is that why you're worried?"  
"I mean," Bruce emphasized, "are they expecting Batman in civilian clothes, or Bruce Wayne?" Clark's mouth dropped open in an "oh".  
"They're expecting you," he answered. "Be the same as you are with Diana, or how you are right now." Bruce slid down the pillows to lay on his back. Clark followed him, curling up to his side.  
"And how talkative am I?" he asked. "How serious? How much do I display affection publicly?"  
Clark could have rolled his eyes, if he didn't know how important this was for Bruce. He pressed a kiss to the corner of his mouth. "You're you," he answered. "You can do whatever you're comfortable with. I don't want you to feel like you're putting on an act." Bruce wrapped his arms more tightly around Clark and didn't respond for several long moments.  
"You have to tell me what you want," he murmured.  
Clark pressed a long kiss to the other's mouth. Bruce's heart sped up cheerfully beneath his hand. "I won't be uncomfortable with whatever you do," he said quietly. "We haven't hung out with Hal or Barry before, so I get that you're nervous. But you can't do anything to mess it up, okay?" Bruce didn't respond to that, so he tried again. "It's going to be fine, okay?"  
"Okay," Bruce answered that time. He sighed and closed his eyes and Clark laid his head back down. They lay in silence for a few minutes, but Clark wasn't falling asleep and Bruce hadn't closed his eyes.  
"How about after we get back from California tomorrow, you tell the company you're taking a vacation, I take some PTO, and we can just stay in," Clark suggested. "You can ask Dick if he wants to come over for dinner?" Bruce hummed and ran his fingers through Clark's hair.  
"He'll probably be too busy," Bruce said, but he said it affectionately.  
"It can't hurt to ask," Clark replied. His boyfriend hummed again and nodded.  
"We won't go out anywhere?" Bruce asked.  
"Nowhere," Clark said. Bruce smiled in the dark just slightly and pulled the blanket up to better cover them.  
"I'll hold you to that," he said finally and Clark grinned victoriously. Bruce closed his eyes and turned his head towards him, and they were both asleep soon after.

~

Barry had been easy about the whole thing all day. He was convinced that Batman would refuse; he wasn't likely to do anything else, and it wasn't only because of his rough friendship with Hal. He just didn't seem the type to do much of anything social. Barry put aside the fact that he knew full well his identity; those two images were just too at odds.  
So when Superman confirmed that they were accepting Hal's invitation, he felt himself begin to worry.  
"Do you think they'll have a good time?" Barry wondered to Hal as they moved around each other comfortably, getting ready for sleep. "Maybe we should book somewhere fancier?"  
"Why?" Hal asked. "It'll be fine." He pressed a kiss to Barry's temple as he went past, and he stopped worrying for a moment to enjoy it.  
"But what if it's not good enough?" Barry asked. "You know, they are _Batman and Superman_. They're, like ..." He struggled to express the exact thing he was thinking. He sighed and opted to look at it from a different angle. "What if I mess up?" he asked. Hal snorted.  
"You? No way," Hal said. "You'll be fine." He turned to look at Barry after he didn't respond for a moment. "You're really worried about this?"  
"It’s stupid, I know," Barry admitted. "I just feel like they're _way up there_ and I'm, you know, not. So ..." Hal frowned and pulled his shirt over his head.  
"You're the best," Hal said. "You're way up there in my book." Barry felt his mouth go dry for a moment. His heart warmed his chest. Hal kissed him deeply, and Barry responded equally.  
"You say the sweetest things sometimes," Barry said after a moment, still smiling.  
"Sometimes?" Hal replied playfully. "You mean, all the time?" Barry laughed and pushed him towards the bathroom.  
"Okay, okay," he said. "Go brush your teeth and then come cuddle." Barry fell down in bed and was glad to see that his anxiety had diminished.  
"You're high up in my book, too," Barry told Hal when he came to bed a minute later. If truth be told, Hal was first.

~

The restaurant was positioned on the pier with one wall of windows, so that patrons could watch the waves below. It was full but not so loud. Lantern and Flash – no, _Hal and Barry_ – were waiting in the entrance when they arrived. Bruce checked his watch again. No, they were still three minutes early.  
"Hey!" Hal greeted them, holding out his hand to shake. "Good to see you're early, too." Clark eagerly took Hal's hand, and Barry's, and Bruce smiled and also shook hands. He returned his hand to his pocket once done but didn't stop smiling, just dimmed it.  
"Ready?" the hostess asked them, motioning for the party to follow her. If she recognized Bruce, she didn't say, and he let himself breath some relief at that. There were still any waiters, waitresses, or diners to deal with, but, as Clark would say, the hostess' non-reaction was "a good sign".  
Clark motioned for him to take the window seat, which he did as soon as he could. He noticed Clark was smiling at him in askance, wondering if he was okay. He gave his boyfriend a tight-lipped smile and nodded. They were sitting down, stage one of the "double date" was complete.  
"We've been here before," Barry was saying. "I haven't had everything but I can recommend some things if you want."  
And Clark was responding, making the appropriate small talk. Bruce knew he could so easily go into Brucie mode, but that was the last thing that Clark would want, and honestly that he would want, as well. And as himself, he didn't know what he would say in this conversation.  
Everyone ordered drinks, and the waiter didn't recognize Bruce either. It was looking like California was the right place to meet. He leaned back in his chair a little bit more naturally. Green Lantern – Hal – was asking him, "Ever been out this way before?"  
"Yes," he responded. There was a beat that he knew in hindsight should have been filled with more of his answer. So he smiled and leaned over the table into the group. "I have been to every state and 95% of countries." The group, even Clark, laughed at that. He felt the urge to frown but stopped himself.  
"But have you ever been around here?" Hal asked again.  
"Yes, I have," Bruce answered. And then to prevent another silence, "It's very nice." The conversation then naturally drifted away from him. He watched Clark easily pick up where he dropped out and gratefully took his drink when it was handed to him.

~

Sometime between ordering their food and receiving it, Hal stopped referring to them in his head as Superman and Batman. It was so interesting to watch them be, well, normal people. Regular people having regular interactions. It was almost a let-down to see them be so average. Sure, Clark was still outgoing and picked up slack in conversation, helping everyone out, and Bruce was still quiet, and seemed to calculate every contribution he made, but they were ... normal.  
Barry had taken the window seat and Hal looked over him to see a ship Clark had mentioned pulling around to dock. He drifted his attention from the ship to his boyfriend, saw the way he leaned on the table, falling just over the line dividing enthusiasm and nervous energy. Hal wrapped a hug around his arms briefly, rested his chin on his shoulder, and made some comment about the ship.  
The hug lasted longer than he had planned going into it. But that was fine. He was far from minding and as long as Barry didn't nudge him off, he figured it wasn't a problem. He pulled away when their food arrived and smiled inside to see Barry more at ease.  
Hal talked about his work at Ferris Air. Clark talked about his work at the Planet. Regular, civilian things that they nevertheless were passionate about. Barry actually got Bruce engaged in a conversation about his work in the lab, and Hal shared a smile with Clark as their boyfriends discussed ... whatever it was they were discussing. Hal loved Barry, but couldn't always understand him. And he loved that, too.  
Hal pushed the remainder of his fries in Barry's direction when he had eaten some of them and his sandwich. Barry absent-mindedly picked through them while swirling his straw through his glass of ice cubes. Hal draped his arm across the back of Barry's chair and relaxed into his own.

~

The bill was split two ways. Bruce refused to be swayed from picking up the tip. He could always be stubborn when he wanted to be. Sometime during the meal he had pushed his sleeves up and he hastily pulled them back down again. The four followed each other out the door into the direct sunlight and Bruce allowed himself to squint for a moment.  
"Good meal," Clark said, shaking hands again. Bruce copied him. "Thanks for inviting us, really appreciate it."  
"Sure, anytime," Barry said. "Seriously, thanks for joining us." Hal echoed him and Bruce found himself taking his cue, too.  
"This was very generous," he said. "Thank you."  
"Hey, we're heading down to the beach," Hal offered. He and Barry conferred for a split second, confirming the plan. "You can join if you wanna?"  
"No, thank you," Bruce interceded politely. He looked over at Clark. "Unless ..."  
"No, we'd better be getting back," Clark said. Bruce relaxed and shaded his eyes with his hand. He would have gone down to the beach if Clark had really wanted to, but God, _he_ didn't want to. Clark squeezed the hand still at his side for a brief moment and Bruce held back for a second.  
They said their final goodbyes and parted ways. Bruce pushed his sleeves up again; it was getting hot outside. He found Clark's hand again and let their fingers just tangle together until they found a secluded spot from which they could go home. Bruce didn't even mind that he was being carried. Much.

~

"Hold up, it's not easy to walk in sand," Hal called from a few steps behind Barry, reaching out to catch his hand. "And it's getting in my shoes." He leaned on Barry's shoulder for a moment. "Let me just ..." He pulled his shoes off and dumped a small pile of sand from each before slinging them over his shoulder.  
"Let's walk down by the water," Barry suggested, pulling his boyfriend along as he headed down there. The air was noticeably cooler even the short walk down to the waves' edge. He closed his eyes to savor the feeling.  
"I wanna go in," Hal decided, kicking at some of the water. "Coming?" He dumped his shoes, shirt, and socks on the dry sand and ran into the ocean. Barry, after watching him for a moment, followed suit. The water was gentle at this time, and swimming was an easy feat. He watched with amusement as Hal let a wave crash over his head, plastering his hair down.  
Neither of them left the shallows to tread water, but stood at stomach height. Hal's ring lay on a chain on his chest. His teeth sparkled in the sun. After jumping through the waves and swimming back and forth, they let themselves be washed up on the shore again. Hal pressed kisses to the side of his face and Barry laughed.  
There was a surprise waiting for them when they went to get dressed again. Or rather, not waiting for them. "Dammit!" Hal huffed. "Who took our things?"  
"Guess we shouldn't have left them out," Barry said, looking around as if they'd show up somewhere.  
"I’m sorry," Hal said, shoulders slumping a little bit. Barry kissed him, and only wrinkled his nose slightly at the salt in his mouth.  
"It's fine," he said. "You didn't leave your ID or anything, did you?"  
"Nah," Hal said, feeling around in his pocket and pulling out his cards and money rubber banded together, dripping wet. "You didn't, either?" Barry shook his head.  
"No big deal," he said. They walked back up towards the boardwalk together, Hal's arm across his shoulders. They made small talk about the flocking seagulls and people they passed. Their conversation was meaningless and yet the most important thing in the world. Easy and won after years of companionship.  
They passed no fewer than six ice cream stands on the boardwalk, and Hal finally offered to buy him some. Barry smiled innocently at first. "If you insist," he joked. Hal dropped some of the still-wet dollar bills on the counter and shrugged his shoulders when the vendor raised her eyebrows. Still, Barry got his ice cream – a waffle bowl with bananas – and Hal got his milkshake.  
"I think today went well," Barry commented as they sat on a wall watching the sea. "It was a lot less stressful than I expected." He leaned his head on Hal's shoulder and relaxed.  
"More laid back than I called on," Hal agreed. "And I didn't embarrass you even once, right?" He looked down at Barry.  
"No, you didn't embarrass me," Barry assured him playfully. "Luckily these days I just think you're cute." He felt pleased when Hal grinned brightly.  
"Aw, sweetie bear," Hal said, sounding more soppy than usual, the corners of his mouth twisting up. "I think you're cute, too." He offered his milkshake for Barry to taste. Barry fed him a spoonful of his ice cream. The last of the clouds cleared away and they delayed going home by wandering down the pier side by side.

~

"I need a shower," Bruce declared the second Clark set him down. He ran fingers through his hair. Clark smiled at his receding back for a moment before following. They purposefully didn't talk about the day just yet. Bruce needed time to settle back into his home so Clark gave it to him.  
While Bruce was getting dressed, he started the fire in the bedroom. While it was already warm in California, the air in Gotham still had a nip to it. Clark hoped the fire would keep him upstairs so they could talk.  
Bruce draped his arms over Clark's shoulders and kissed the side of his neck. He hummed contentedly when Clark turned his head to catch the other's lips. They shared breath and smiled against each other's mouths for several moments before Bruce relaxed and sat down on the rug in front of the fireplace, pulling Clark down with him.  
"Do you want to talk about it?" Clark prompted, interlacing his hands with Bruce's. He didn't give any verbal response but the inclination of his head was a yes. "I think it went well," Clark began. "How did you think it went?"  
"We avoided all of my worst-case scenarios," Bruce said. "You enjoyed it." Clark nodded to confirm. "And I think that I was ... myself." Clark grinned.  
"That's great," he said softly. "I'm really glad." He leaned forward to bring their foreheads together and closed his eyes for a moment. "I felt that I could be myself, too," he continued. Bruce looked down at their hands.  
"I believe that I didn't enjoy myself as much as I could have," Bruce finally said after some silence. Translation: it wasn't as bad as he thought. Clark smiled gently and kissed him. He gave Bruce space, matching their breathing. "I am ... grateful that you carried my conversation." And Clark was proud of him, for expressing not only his thoughts but his feelings, too.  
"Of course," he murmured. "How would you feel about doing it again sometime?" Bruce shot him a look.  
"Don't count on it," he said. He sighed and then qualified, "At least, not soon." Clark took it; "not soon" was miles from "never again". Bruce exhaled deeply and kissed him shortly.  
"We need to call in our vacations," Bruce said lightly. "And I think I will invite Dick over for tomorrow."

**Author's Note:**

> so this is the first time I've posted anything in like 7-8 years and I was pretty hesitant about this not being that meaningful but so long as 1 person gets some happiness from it, I figure that's worth it. And there's this shortage of Halbarry fics that I wanna help remedy.  
> I actually am really happy with this result, I was motivated to write it, and I hope you enjoyed :)  
> have a great day!


End file.
